Auxiliary release for the spool holders of surgical stitching instruments



Jan. 29 1946.

J. D. KARLE 2,393,911. AUXILIARY RELEASE FOR THE SPOOL-HOLDERS 0F SURGICAL STITCHING INSTRUMENTS Filed Oct. 20, 1943 I V Liar Patented Jan. 29, 1946 AUXIDIARY REDEASE FOR THE SPQOL.

HOLDERS F SURGICAB STITCHING' lN- STRUMENTS John-Deliarle, Roselle-:Park, assig-nonto The Singer Manufacturing Company,- Elizabeth; N. =.I., ,alcorppration of New, Jersey,

ApplicatibmOctober ZO, 1943iLSerial- No: 506,!!6'6 3-,.ClaimsM (01. 1289340) This inventlon relates t'o surgica1 stitching; instruments of? the type disclosedin my- United?v States=patent application Serial No: 41383292; filed April 9; 1942; and ithas 'as" an objecttoprovideauxiliary-meansvfor facilitating the relase ofthe suture-spool lockingdevice:

In the inst'rument disclosed in my priorappli cation the -suturing threadis-wound' upon a-spool which'is lield in a spool holder supportedirom thei handle of 'the instrument" and "located at one-side: offthe ax-is thereof: Thespool hold'er includes means: for locking the spool against rotation in. the holder, so that suture thread willhotbe pulled from the' spool accidentally; and manually actuableimeansfor-releasing the spoolfronrit's lock= ing means topermit thespool'to rotate when it? is desired to'pullsuturing*tliread' therefromi The spoolf-locking means 'comprisesa stud -in thespoo'l holder which is adapted-T to'; enter-any one" of a plurality of holes =in the" flange of thwspooli' anda' spring fornormally holding the-stud in on'eiof said holes- The spool loek may'be" released: manually*shiftingtlie-spool pimandspoolaxially, in opposition to said spring t'ordisengage the looking stud from-thejholeinthe spook-flange. This. shifting'of the spool-pin andspoollis effct'edlby thumb-pressure applied to a cup-nut secured upon To apply thumb-pressure to the spool-lock releasing means requires a user to reach diagonally across the axis of the instrument with his thumb to engage the spool-releasing cup-nut. Certain users have indicated a preference for an instrument in which the spool-locking means may be released by thumb-pressure applied on or near the axis of the instrument, so that such crossreaching with the thumb is not required.

This invention has as its primary object to provide auxiliary means applicable to the surgical stitching instrument disclosed in my above mentioned application whereby the spool-locking means may be released by thumb-pressure applied at a point at one side of the axis of the spool-holder and adjacent the axis of the instrument.

More specifically, the invention has as an object to provide a simple, light-weight and inexpensive device, preferably of sheet metal, which readily may be applied to Singer surgical stitching instruments now in use to enable the spool-locking means thereof to be released by thumb-pressure applied substantially on the axis of the instrument.

A drawing depicting a preferred embodiment of this invention-hasb'een' annexedasapart of this disclosure and insuch drawing: N

Fig;- 1 is'-*a-side'-elevation*ofa Singerf'surgicaif stitching I instrument having my; auxiliary spool? lock-releasing=device-applied thereto: 7

Fig: 2 is-atransverse" sectionaliview taken onr the-=line-22of Fig: 1 with the suture-spoolloplted a'gainst rotation in the-spool-holder:

Fig; 3 is a longitudinal sectionrthrougnthespeol hold'er; showing the' auxiliary," spool lock ingstud inthe spool-holder:

Fig,- 4- is a perspective- View of" the auxiliary, spocl-lockreleasing device; apart'irom the in: strumenti' Referring'more specifically-to" the drawing; the invention isdisclosedi as? applied to a- Singer surgical stitchinginstrumentpomprising a handle;

I; a needle-bar 2" projecting axially from the hand'ly and a curved; eye-pointedii needle: 3. secured in the free'end of' the" needle-bar: Secured? upon-- one end of the handleis'a spool-support ing bracket 4, having, at one side of the axisgot the handl and "needle'bar, anioperr cup-like pornew 5 adap ted to receive-a spool 6" upon which is"wound surgicalsuturingthread t which'passesf tetheneed-l 3-5 Mounted in the member" 5 -for limited endwise-movement isa pini'l upon-which the hub of the spool is journaled': A stud8t pro" jecting radially from the spool-pin, affords an abutment for one flange of the spool. A nut 9, threaded on one end of the spool-pin, engages the other flange of the spool and, with the stud 8, holds the spool againsigaxial movement relative to the pin 1 while permitting it to rotate thereon. Mounted in the cup 5, behind the spool 6, is leaf spring H] which bears upon and applies a slight friction to the spool to prevent overrunning of the spool and spilling of thread. The spring I0 is held in the cup 5 by a screw H the head I2 of which afiords one element of a spool-locking means. The spool-pin I is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 (that is with the screwhead l2 entering one of a plurality of holes l3 formed in the flanges of the spool), by a coil spring l4 surrounding the pin 1 and interposed between the member 5 and a cup-nut l5 threaded on the other end of the spool-pin.

When it is desired to pull thread from the spool 6, which is normally locked against rotation, pressure is applied upon the cup-nut l5 thereby depressing the nut, the spool pin and the spool to the position indicated in Fig. 3. In this position the flange of the spool is out of engagement with its looking stud (the screw-thread l2) Thread may then be pulled from the spool. When the pressure on the cup-nut I5 is relieved the spring l l again shifts the pin 1 and spool 6 axially to re-engage one of the holes IS in the spoolfiange with; the stud l2 whereupon the spool is again locked against rotation. Heretofore, pressure on the cup-nut to release the spool-locking means has been applied directly by the thumb of the user. g r

This invention has provided a simple and inexpensive device adapted to be applied to the instrument to enable the user thereof to release the spool-locking means by applying -thumb and the spool is' free to rotate on the pinl.

Having thus set forth the nature of the inven-- tion, what I claim herein is:

1. In a surgical stitching instrument having a spool-holder located at one side of the axis of the instrument, spool-locking means carried by said spool-holder and a manually depressible element carried by said spool-holder for releasing said spool-locking means; the improvement which consists in the provision of a member having a cylindrical portion secured upon the instrument 7 and a manually depressible arm projecting from said cylindricalportion and overlying said manpressure substantially on the axis of the instrument. This device comprises a sheet metal mem -V I ber M, shown detached in Fig. 4, comprising .a" split cylindrical sleeve portion l6 adapted to be slid upon and to frictionally embrace the needlebar 2 adjacent the spool-supporting bracket 4. Extending from the sleeve I6 is a reverselybent arm, one portion I! of which projects'tangen- 'tially from the sleeve away from the spool-hold- 7 er. This arm is bent backwardly, at l8, to form, in efiect, a hinge point and then continues as a thumb-piece 19 which is arranged substantially parallel to the portion 11. The thumb-piece l9 terminates in a forwardly curved and rounded portion 20 which, when the member M isclamped on the needle-bar, overlies and engages the cupnut l5. 'Thearm IQ of the device is formed with a raised portion 2| having a depressed and roughened central portion 22 which afiords a seat or button for the thumb, of a user. The center of this seat is oil-set from the axis of the instrument slightly toward the axis of the spool-holder. This ually depressible element whereby said spool-lock releasing means may be actuated by pressure applied to jsaid-arm adjacent the axis of th instrument.

' '2. In a' surgical stitching instrument comprising a handle, a needle-supporting bar extending therefronna spool-holder supported from said handle-and located at one side of the axis thereof,- spool-locking means carried by said spoolholder;- and a manually actuable spool-lock re-' leasing means coaxial with saidspool-holder; the

' improvement which consists in'the provision of a affords means for depressing the spool-releasing nut I 5'by pressure applied adjacent the axis of the instrument and insures that that pressure will not accidentally cause tipping of the auxiliary V spool-lock releasing member backwardly about theaxis of the needle-bar and away from the cup-nutl5. V v m From the foregoing it will'be apparent that I have provideda simple, light-weight and inexpensive device, adapted to be applied, as an attachment, to a completed surgical stitching instrument, to facilitate the releasing of the structure-spool locking means.

sheet metalmember having a split sleevefrictionally secured on said needle-supporting bar, said member-also having a reversely bent arm projecting tangentially from said sleeve away from said spool-holder and then backwardly t0 7 7 said sleeve portion inone'direction and then bent backwardly to form an oppositely extending depressible-thumb piece, the free end of which is adapted to engage the spool-lock releasing means, said thumb-piece being formed; intermediate its ends, with a thumb-seat. p

' JOHN D. KARLE. 

